Isotopic Total Organic Carbon Solution Scoops Silver Prize at PITTCON®

A newly launched Isotopic Carbon Solution for Total Organic Carbon (TOC), jointly developed by Picarro Inc. and O.I. Corporation, (d.b.a. OI Analytical) has been awarded the Editors' Choice Silver Prize as one of the three most outstanding new products at the 2009 PITTCON conference and technical exhibition (March 8-13, Chicago, IL).

The PITTCON Editors' Choice Awards are intended to recognize the best examples of innovative and creative instruments showcased at the exposition, and are selected by an independent voting survey of registered press members attending the conference and trade-show. PITTCON is a flagship annual event in the analytical equipment industry, typically attracting over 25,000 attendees and over 1,000 companies, many of whom time their new product releases for this exhibition.

The iTOC-CRDS, available from Picarro, is a compact, turnkey system that measures total organic carbon (TOC) as well as the carbon stable isotope ratio (δ13C) for the TOC component. Primary applications are fast screening of foods, beverages and other agricultural products for source-appellation and/or signs of illicit adulteration/dilution/additives. The iTOC-CRDS is also targeted at research in carbon cycles, necessary for better understanding of cause and effects of rising greenhouse gases, as well as various forensic applications. This integrated system is built around Picarro's unique WS-CRDS (wavelength scanned cavity ring down spectroscopy) analyzer technology integrated with OI Analytical's TOC combustion/oxidation front-end. (College Station, Texas, NASDAQ: OICO).

Michael Woelk, CEO of Picarro states, "We are extremely honored to receive and share this prestigious award with OI in the face of stiff competition from numerous multi-billion dollar companies who've also presented outstanding new products at this year's event. This is further validation of our strategy of applying our ultra-sensitive WS-CRDS technology to real world problems in trace gas and isotope analysis. The iTOC-CRDS also exemplifies our approach of integrating specialized front-end accessories to provide our customers with a complete, optimized solution for their particular application. In this regard, I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate OI Analytical, our much-valued partner in developing this turnkey solution for TOC isotopic analysis."